Complications
by melles
Summary: Tim's little brother comes to visit will the two of them get along after Tim gets injured during a robbery?
1. Chapter 1

**Complications  
CSI: Miami** Fanfiction

A/N: Hi! This is my first fanfic for CSI: Miami, although I already did some stuff for CSI. All mistakes in this story

belong to me (at least something that belongs me), everything else is owned by CBS.

A huge THANK YOU to my beta-readers Nonnie and Speedfanatic05. You are great!

Please read and review!

**Chapter 1**

Tim Speedle was in a bad mood. His mother had called him this morning to tell him that they

were going to vacation for 3 weeks. Not so bad – at first. But then she said:

"And be kind to Andrew…"

"Whoa – wait a minute, Mom. Why…?" he answered, but was interrupted by Susan.

"Because I want him to stay with you. School's off and I don't want him home alone.

He's your brother, Tim! And there will be no further discussion about this, understand?"

"Yeah…" he gave in grumpily. 'Great, 3 weeks with little Andy following me around' he thought. "When do you leave?"

"Next Tuesday morning. So you have plenty time to prepare. Andy's plane will arrive sometime around 2 p.m. I'll call you Monday to give you full information about the flight, okay?"

"Yeah…" was all he could think of.

"Hey! It's not like you signed your death penalty, is it? Come on, Tim. Don't give me a hard time on this one. I really looking forward to this vacation. It's the first in almost 10 years."

"I'm sorry, Mom. It's just…I don't get along with Andy very well", he said honestly.

"Just be kind to each other and everything will be fine, okay? I'll call you next week. Bye."

"Bye, Mom." As he hung up the phone, he ran his hands up and down his face and sighed. 'Great, fantastic. 3 weeks! How am I supposed to survive this?'

The next days went by and Tim's mood wasn't getting any better. He didn't mention the fact he was going to have a visitor to his co-workers. He only asked Horatio for a day off in order to get his brother from the airport.

As he left the headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, Eric watched his friend and was a little suspicious. He went to Calleigh and asked:

"Hey. Do you know what's up with Speed?"

"Why?"

"Well, he wasn't quite himself lately. Something's going on."

"Did you ask him about that?"

"No."

She just shrugged. "Then ask him when he gets back." She went down the hallway.

After he had picked up his younger brother, Tim drove straight back home, pulled into the driveway of his house and took the suitcase out of the trunk. The two hadn't exchanged many words since they met two hours ago. The usual small talk; 'How's the weather in New York?' 'How was the flight?' 'Are Mom and Dad already in Hawaii?'.

As they settled down in the living room, Tim went into the kitchen. "Hungry?"

"Yes. I'm starving," Andy answered with a nod, "The food on the flight wasn't quite satisfying."

Tim opened the refrigerator in search of something to eat. "You can't compare our way of cooking with food from the airlines", he said referring to their father's restaurants.

"Guess so", Andy replied.

"Okay…we have a problem there", Tim said and went back to the living room. "Don't have much left. How 'bout some shopping?" he asked.

Andy just shrugged. "Do I have another choice?"

They stopped at a grocery store a few blocks away and after finishing they went back outside to the car. After they stored everything in the trunk, they entered the front of the car, that was parked a few steps away from the entrance.

"Did you buy mustard, too?" Andy asked as they sat on their seats.

"Why should I?"

"Because."  
"I'm not going back. If you want mustard, you go back inside by yourself", Tim shot back.

"Fine. I'll go", Andy said and got out of the car and back into the store.

Shortly after 2 other young men went into the grocery store, too. Something about them caught Tim's attention. He wasn't sure why, but the two signalled trouble to him. He watched as they vanished behind the entrance door. He waited several seconds, debating what to do. His gut feeling got the best of him and Tim sighed and went after them. He looked around, searching for Andy. He found him in the back of the shop near the refrigerators. Tim quickly got to him, looking for the two young men who were standing near the cash register.

"Hey! What's up, bro?" Andy asked.

Tim didn't answer and was still looking at the two men. Suddenly the whole situation changed as the two men drew their guns, one of them pointing at the kid behind the cash register and the other whirled around checking the shop. As soon as Tim saw the weapons he grabbed Andy and yanked him onto the ground with him.

"What do you…" he asked surprised, but was interrupted by Tim.

"Shut up! It's a robbery! Don't move, stay down", Tim whispered and drew his gun.

"What are you doing! Please stay here…" Andy said fearfully.

"Just be quiet, okay", Tim answered, looking straight in his brother's eyes. "Just want a better view of them." And with that he quickly went through the shelves, his head down, toward the cashier.

For a few seconds, Andy stayed down, but time was passing very slowly and he was eager to know what was going on. He got onto his knees and moved forward, hoping to get a quick glance around the shelf he was hiding behind. All he could see was the boy behind the cash register who was scared to death because of the two men in front of him, and mostly of course because of the guns in their hands. Tim was nowhere to be found. Andy moved forward a bit – unfortunately coming in contact with some jelly jars, which crashed loudly onto the floor.

The men looked at each other. One of them motioned for his partner to find out what was going on. The man headed toward the source of the noise and Andy quickly scrambled back to his original position, cursing his curiosity.

In the distance Tim heard the noises too and knew it meant new trouble. He had a decision to make. So he went back to his brother.

By the time he reached Andy, the man was already behind the shelf, pointing the gun at Andy's head. "There's a guy on the ground!" he said to his partner.

"You know what to do", the man answered coldly.

With that, Tim leapt to his feet and showed his badge. "Miami Dade Police! Guns down! NOW!" he shouted.

Silence answered him. No one moved. Tim pointed his gun towards the man who was threatening his brother, but watched the man in front of the cash register as well. "I said 'Put the guns down!' We stop this thing right now", he said to no one in particular.

But the man at the cashier didn't want to give up so he moved around and pointed his gun towards Tim. And then, hell broke loose.

The man fired at Tim, who fired back. Both men went down. The man didn't move and as Tim tried to get up again he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder.

The second man didn't know what to do and looked to this partner down at the ground and back again to the bleeding police officer, who struggled to get on his feet.

Tim still pointed the gun to the perp's head. "Gun down!" he said hoarsely and stood up.

But the man didn't respond at first then, started to run towards the door.

"Stop! Or I will shoot!" Tim shouted, firing as the man continued towards the door. Speed missed the running target and hit some contents of the shelf nearby instead. The man lost his balance and fell through the glass window next to the door. But he seemed unharmed as he got to his feet again and vanished.

The silence inside the store was deafening. No one moved or spoke. Andy walked over to Tim, who was standing tall with his gun pointed toward the floor. "Tim?" Andy asked, his voice trembling. "You…you okay?"

Speed turned and tried to focus on his brother, but the pain was overwhelming. The gun in his hand was suddenly very heavy and he just couldn't hold it any longer. The weapon landed on the floor with a dull thud. Andy flinched, but moved closer to Tim. Tim took a step toward Andy, but his knees gave out and he fell to the floor as the world around him faded to black.

A few minutes later the store was filled with people - police officers and paramedics working the crime scene. Horatio Caine and Eric Delko were just approaching. "Do we know what was going on?" Horatio asked the first officer at the crime scene while he entered the store.

"Robbery went bad. One perp dead, one victim injured. Two eyewitnesses if you don't count the injured one", Officer Edwards explained. As they got deeper into the shop they could see the paramedics working on an unconscious man laying on the ground. A young man stood nearby, obviously in shock. Horatio nodded towards Eric. "I'll take this one, you take a look at the cashier."

"Okay."

Horatio went carefully towards the two paramedics. As he looked down to the victim, he froze suddenly in his moves. He felt like someone had slapped him across the face. This can't be. "Speed!" he said, not believing his eyes. He asked one of the medics: "How bad?". He wasn't expecting good news – there was too much blood on the ground.

"Well, the bullet did some severe damage to his collarbone and the muscles around. He lost a lot of blood I'm afraid", the paramedic answered and then said: "We have to go."

The paramedics gently lifted Speed onto the gurney and quickly exited the front door. Horatio stood still for several seconds, starting at the spot where Speed had been laying just moments before. He shifted his gaze, finding the young man from earlier standing only a few feet away – pale and shivering. Horatio carefully stepped over the blood and said quietly, "Are you okay?"

The teen didn't answer.

"I'm Horatio Caine. I'm with the CSI and I will try to figure out what happened here. But, I need your help, is that okay with you?"

There was still no reaction from the young man who bore a striking and unsettling resemblance to Speed and couldn't be older than 18.

Horatio gently laid a hand on the arm of the young man, trying to get his attention.

"Did you understand what I told you?"

"Y..yes…" Andy stammered.

"Good. Now, what's your name?"

"Andrew…Andrew Speedle."

"Speedle? Are you related to Tim Speedle?"

"Yeah…I'm his younger brother…"

Horatio sighed. "You just came from NYC, right?"

"Yeah…but…how do you…?" he was irritated.

"I'm Tim's supervisor. He told me about you."

"Oh…right…CSI…sorry. Didn't really listen. I…gotta go…Tim…he's…where did they take him…?" he began to cry.

Horatio looked at the terrified kid. "Andrew, listen to me. I need your help. I know this is hard, but right now the best you can do to help Tim is to work together with us."

Andrew stopped crying and listened carefully. He sobbed a few times more and then looked around. "Can…can we…go outside?"

"Sure."

On their way out, Eric approached them. "Cashier's no big help. There were two men with ski masks and gloves. Maybe the videotape will show details. So far no footprints. I found one casing near the dead body. The cashier, his name's Todd Anderson, said something about a Miami Dade police officer, but Officer Edwards told me that he saw nobody except the cashier, the two men in the back and the dead one…"

"Eric…that police officer…it was Tim."  
Delko needed a few seconds to let the information sink in. "Okay, so where's Tim? I thought he had his day off? Wait a minute…the injured man…that was Speed!"

"Yes."

"Jesus. Speed killed the perp and got shot himself. How's he doing? Any news on him?"

Horatio took Eric by his arm and turned away from Andy. "As far as I'm concerned, he received severe injuries."

"Shit."  
"You see this kid over there?"

Eric looked at Andy. "Yes."

"He's Tim's brother…I'm trying to get some information out of him about what happened. After that I want you to take care of him. He just came this afternoon from NYC."

"Okay."  
"Can you do the…processing? Are you going to be okay? Or should I call someone else?"

"No…I'm fine. I can do this."

After that Horatio left with Andrew. They walked towards the parking lot. Andy inhaled the fresh air, he was obviously doing better outside.

"So, Andrew…"

"Andy's okay with me, Mr. Caine."

"Call me Horatio. Andy, what happened in there?"

And then Andy tried his best to share all his information with Horatio, who listened with great interest, stopping the teen's description of events from time to time to ask for more details.

Bad news always travels fast, so Horatio wasn't surprised when everyone at headquarters already knew of Tim's injuries. Called peppered him with questions, "And? Any news yet?"

"No, I just came from the crime scene. I have some evidence to examine."

"Eric's still there?" Calleigh wanted to know.

"No. He's with Tim's brother Andy, who happened to be one of the eyewitnesses."

"He was with Speed? Crap. He's alright?"

"Pretty shook up. The usual. But I think he's doing better by now."

"What do you have?"

"This is blood from the entrance door. The perp fell through it as he tried to flee. I guess it's from a bullet wound, since Tim shot him."  
"Speed shot him? Are you sure? The blood could be from some cuts."

"Well, Andy said Tim took one shot at the perp in front of the cashier and three at the fugitive. Four shots – but only three bullets. We didn't find the fourth, so I guess it's in the perp somewhere. I already informed the hospitals."

Calleigh watched Horatio and said: "But there's more, right? I can see it in your face."

He smiled. "Yes. We've also got this..." he answered and showed them a pair of gloves in an evidence bag. "Eric found them one block away. He had just to follow the blood trail. Since it stopped there, the perp must have got away with a vehicle or something else."

"Fingerprints! I love it", Calleigh said and took the bag. "Not as much as bullets, but…I can live with it. Only that makes me guess that those two weren't professionals at all. Eyewitnesses, fingerprints…maybe they aren't listed at AFIS…"

"Could be. But we have to try…excuse me, I want to talk to Alexx", Horatio told her and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Complications**

A/N: I'm on the favorites list! Wow, really guys, I'm flattered! It took me almost a year to get this thing started. I hope that you all out there enjoy reading this piece as much as I did while writing it.

This is just for the record: Go and see Chapter 1 for full information…

**Chapter 2**

Speed's eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light but his mind was still fuzzy. He tried to move, but his body was too heavy.

'A hospital' he thought. 'Why am I in a hospital…?' He had to think a very long time about this but come to no conclusion at first. 'I'm injured. Why?' He slowly turned his head to the right side and saw an IV bag hanging at the head end of the bed. Then he could feel the IV in his right hand. 'Good. Drugs…I can probably use it right now' he thought. Speed tried to focus on his surroundings and recognized several machines around his bed.

"Oh, great. You're awake", an unknown voice said to him

Tim moved his head back and looked at a nurse. He tried to say something, but his mouth was terribly dry. All he could manage was a hoarsely whispering. The nurse vanished.

One minute later the nurse and a man stepped into the room. "How do you feel?" he wanted to know.

But Speed still couldn't talk, so the nurse took a cup of water to his lips and let him sip some of the liquid. "Thanks…where am I?"

"You're at General Hospital. You are recovering from a surgery on your left upper arm and shoulder. We worked almost 5 hours on you and it looks like you're going to survive", he smiled.

Tim wanted to reply, but then Alexx Woods stepped to his side.

"Sorry. You're not allowed to…" the nurse said to her.

"I'm Dr. Alexx Woods and with the CSI", she told the nurse and showed her ID card. "This is one of my co-workers and also a victim of a crime." She looked at the doctor. "Did you operate him?"

"Yes. My name's Dr. White."

"Can I see the x-rays, Dr. White?"

"Sure", he asked the nurse to get them. After she got them, he held one of it up. "That was before the surgery."

"Oh…my…", she frowned. Speed could see that she moved her head from one side to the other. "I didn't think there'd be so much damage," she sighed heavily.

Dr. White nodded. "Unfortunately there was. A 9 mm isn't a piece of cake. As you can see, the damage done by the bullet was huge. It took a lot of time to get his collarbone back together…but I think you'll be satisfied with the result", he said and showed her another x-ray.

Again her head was moving, as she compared the two x-rays. "You did great, Dr. White."

"Thank you," he smiled. "The two rods are permanent, and I'm afraid that screw is also. But, I'm optimistic that he will make a full recovery."

"Will there be any impairment?"

"We are not absolutely sure," he answered with hesitation. "Probably yes. We can't guarantee a full function again because of the great damage."

"Excuse me? I'm awake and I can hear you. So would you please talk to me?" Tim said hoarsely.

"Of course, Mr. Speedle. As you heard, I'm optimistic about your recovery but I'm not sure about the impairment. Positive thing about it, from now on you can tell the weather change. Those things in there", he pointed to the x-ray, "are working like a barometer. Every time the weather's going to change, you'll be the first to know."

"Fabulous," Tim answered sarcastically. Alexx's mood was lightened by his answer, which was complete with a trademark Speedle eye roll. "How long am I going to wear this cast?" he asked with a deep frown.

"At least a month. I know it is awful and distracting, but we have to immobilize the shoulder completely", he had to smile as he saw Tim's shocked face. Dr. White tried to sound positive as he explained further. "After that we check again and see how the healing process is going on. Probably you have to wear a sling for another month or so – if there are no complications. You seem to be in a good physical condition, so I'm looking forward to a full recovery."

"Yeah, but sometimes it seems like he's off the roll", Alexx smiled.

"Okay. I'll give you five minutes. Then he should rest." The doctor and the nurse left the room.

Alexx stepped closer to the bed.

"Hey", Speed said.

"Hey", Alexx answered. "Why did you do this, boy?"

"I had no other choice. Otherwise we'll all be dead by now. Where's Andy? He's okay?"

"He's sleeping next door. They put him under sedatives, too. Eric wanted to take him home, but he insisted to go here."

"Looks like I'm out for a while, I guess."

She smiled. "Yeah, that's right." She took his right hand. "God, Timmy. You were lucky to have your left arm at least." She saw him fighting against the sleep. "You sleep now, do you hear me? You need to rest." After a few seconds he was already sleeping and she left the room to tell Horatio.

The next time Tim woke up, he tried to move his fingers, which peered out of the cast. It took several seconds for them to react, but they finally did. He let out a grateful sigh and closed his eyes for a few seconds. Then he realized that the cast took his whole left side and arm, beginning at his neck straight down to his waist. The doctor had told the truth about immobilizing his shoulder completely. A short time later he could feel the pain. He moved his head around and saw a man sitting by the window. "Hello?"

"Oh hey!" Andy practically ran to his right side. "How do you feel, Tim?"

Tim tried to smile, but wasn't sure if he was successful. "Like shit. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…Mom called today…"

"Did you tell her?" he asked afraid of the answer.

"No…at that point no one knew if you gonna pull through…God, I thought was gonna loose you…" he began to cry.

"Hey. Everything's going to be fine. I'm here. I'm alive", Tim said and tried to sit up a bit but failed. "Come here."

Andy sat down on the bed and Tim pulled him closer to his right shoulder, as Andy sobbed. "Shhh, everything's going to be alright", he repeated several times and ran his hand up and down his brother's back. After a few minutes Andy regained his composure and settled down in the chair again.

"Thanks for not telling mom. She'd freak out if she knew", Tim smiled. "We tell her when they're back home. Right now she deserves the vacation."

They sat in silence. A knock on the door could be heard.

"Yes?" Tim said.

Horatio and the rest of the team stepped in. They brought flowers and some books. "Good to see you, Speed", Horatio said and padded him on the right shoulder. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks for coming", he replied.

"Sure thing", Eric said and put a plastic bowl on the nightstand next to the bed.  
Speed eyed him suspiciously.  
"From my mom. She said, to get healthy again you must eat our famous hot-pot. Something like this", he said laughing and shrugged.  
"Oh, thanks…I just thought this is my last meal."

"I want to sign the cast", Calleigh smiled.

"I hope you find some space", he said sarcastically.

"Alexx told me about the luck you've had. I'm glad you're doing fine", Calleigh said while she wrote her name on his left upper arm.

"Yeah, I'm a lucky one", Tim smirked. "Always was."

"But don't overdo your lucky charms", Horatio told him. Then he looked at Andy. "Doing better?"

"Yes, thank you. Any news on the investigation?"

"Well, as far as I can tell, we found DNA from the fugitive as well as his fingerprints. We also managed to get a picture from the tape, but since they wore ski masks…"

"No identification yet?" Tim asked. "They aren't at AFIS?"

"No."

"But what about…" he started.

"Speed?"

"Yeah?" he looked at his boss.

"You're out. Let us handle this case, okay? You should rest now."

Tim watched him annoyed. "THIS is my case as well. I'm the one who got shot! I'm not going to back…" he said but was interrupted by Horatio.

"Hey! You're in no physical condition to argue like you're doing right now." He turned to his team. "You better go."

They said their goodbyes and left.

"Andy? Would you mind to leave me alone with Tim?" Horatio asked.

"No problem. But watch out. He's weak, don't sue him."

As he had left, Horatio turned to Speed again. "He's right. You're weak. So don't make this any harder on you then it already is. You know we're doing the best we can. Even without you at the lab", he smiled.

Tim swallowed hard. "I know…I'm sorry…it's just…" he trailed off. Tears were forming in his eyes. "If they had killed Andy…I don't know what…"

Horatio stepped closer and sat on the bed like Andy before. "But Andy wasn't killed. He's alright, do you hear me?"

Speed just nodded as tears began running down his cheeks.

"I'll promise to find the guy. We're gonna get him, Speed", Horatio said as he brought his forehead against Tim's. "You're exhausted. You are probably dealing with great pain right now, so do you need some more pain medication?" he asked with a low voice.

Tim sobbed a few times before answering. "It hurts like hell, but I don't want that stuff yet. It only makes me fuzzy."

Horatio leaned back and smiled: "Speed, it's supposed to have this effect on you! That's your chance to get high legally."

"No, thanks. Listen, could you do me a favour?"

"Sure."

"Would you take care of Andy? He shouldn't be alone. I'm not gonna get home that fast, I guess."

"I'll take care of him. Now, I need some information from you. What do you remember?"

Tim sighed. "Not much…we were at the refrigerators in the back. The second I saw the two guys I had this…gut feeling, you know? They moved to the cashier and as they drew their guns…my only reaction was to make sure that Andy wouldn't be harmed. No one should be harmed at all…" he explained and told Horatio everything he could think of.

After 10 minutes Horatio noticed that Speed grew tired as he spoke. "Okay, let's stop here. I have enough to work with. You need to rest, Tim" he said as he walked back to the door.

"H?"

"Yes?"

"Go and get the bad guy, okay?" Speed smiled weakly.

"Will do", Horatio answered, "but you have to do me a favour in return. News people are waiting outside….I know, I know…" he grinned as he saw Speed frowning. "Just be polite, tell them a good story, stuff like that. It won't last very long according to Dr. White. He made sure they only have a few minutes to ask questions."

**Headquarters**

Everyone was occupied. Eric entered Horatio's office with a big smile on his face. "I think we've got him!"

With that Horatio was on his feet. "How?"

"A guy broke in a vet's clinic 30 minutes ago. He wanted medicine, threatened the doc. But he managed to get him sleeping pills instead of painkillers. Smart man. The guy has a bullet wound in his tight and a few scratches at his arms. We are already examine his blood sample. The cops are with him at the hospital right now."

An hour later Horatio and Eric went to the hospital room to meet their suspect. DNA came back positive. A short time later they left – with a satisfied look at their faces. Luck was with them today. They stood in the hallway. "Wanna tell Speed?" Horatio asked.

"Sure thing, boss", Eric smiled and went to see his friend.

One week later, Speed had to learn to walk again which was difficult because the heavy cast always made him walk like he was drunk. He had the tendency to drift to the left side while he tried to put one foot in front of the other. Alexx stopped by a few times to check his healing process. She was pleased; so far there weren't any complications. Andy enjoyed himself while hanging out with Calleigh and Eric.

Two weeks after the accident Alexx convinced Dr. White to release Tim into her custody. She was with him as he sat on the bed while Andy stuffed Tim's clothes into the suitcase.

"I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself, but you have to back down for the next weeks, Tim. If you don't do as I say – you'll be back here in no time, understand that?"  
"Yes, Ma'am" he said honestly and stood up. "Ready?"

The three of them walked to the car in the parking lot after finishing all the papers and Speed's necessary wheelchair ride to the entrance. They stood in front of the car.

"Oookaaay…I think…we have a problem here", Tim said while looking at his cast and the car. "How am I supposed to fit in there? Your car's way too small, Alexx."

"Stop whining and get in, bro", Andy said and pushed Tim further towards the car.

Once at home, Speed let out a loud sigh. "Man, this feels great", he smiled and walked toward the living room. His eyes caught a stack of newspapers at the table. _SHOOTING AT MIKE'S MARKET: Miami Dade Police Officer saves lives!_ could be read. "Uh oh, let's hope they got the lines I gave them right."

"I guess so. You're a local hero so to speak", Alexx said and went into the kitchen. She placed a few medicine bottles at the table and turned to Andy. "Make sure he takes them as labelled, okay?"

"Yeah, no problem", Andy replied.

"We're going to check you next week, see if we can lift this cast off a bit earlier", she said to Tim as she left.

"THAT would be fantastic", he answered happily.

Later that day after changing clothes and eating a big family pizza, the two sat at the backyard and watched the darkening sky.

Tim leaned back in his chair as much as he could and closed his eyes. "Hope you enjoyed your trip so far", he said sarcastically, his eyes still closed.

"It's the best thing that's ever happened to me," Andy shot back with a grin. "Seriously, man, things have changed with us. I don't know why you've always been reluctant to spend time with me, but…the last two weeks have been…different. I mean, I'm not happy about what happened to you, now way. But, I don't know, maybe it was meant to be."

Tim glanced at Andy. "How many beers did you have, little man?"

"Don't get me wrong! I…for the first time I started to feel that connection between us…doesn't make any sense, does it?"

At first Tim couldn't think of anything to say. He just sat there for a while until he finally answered: "I guess you're wrong. It does make sense to me. See, I've always been on my own. Dad just worked all day and Mom was busy with all the other kids at home. I liked it that way – I was independent. I could do whatever I wanted to do. And then – you came into the world. I mean I was 13 back then, I wanted to have fun, not to watch out for my little brother. But I was told to do so. And I did. That pissed me off. That's why I didn't liked having you around. I'm sorry. I realised I was totally wrong…" he stopped and looked at Andy. "I had lots of time back in the hospital to think…"

"Oh, that's dangerous."

He laughed. "Yeah!"

Both smiled and stayed silent for a few moments, each lost in thoughts.

"I hope we can start to make things up, even if it will take quite some time", Speed continued. "I've learned that you are important to me."

"We have all the time in the world, Tim. One thing at a time", Andy offered.

"Good."

Alexx arrived Monday morning at Speed's house to pick them up. After a few more tests and x-rays Dr. White decided to give it a try – and 30 minutes later Tim walked out of the examine room with his left arm in a sling.

"Mr. Speedle, don't forget: you were very lucky back then. Just give it time to heal completely. But I guess Dr. Woods has a good influence to you. If nothing comes up we meet again next week to pull the stitches. Bye", Dr. White said, shook Tim's hand and left them in the hallway.

Tim carefully lifted his left shoulder only a little bit but got a sharp pain in response. He winced.

"Hey! Don't you listen? Stop that", Andy said.

"I didn't do anything! Hell, that hurts! A lot…but it still feels good", he smiled.

Alexx's pager went up and after she made a phone call she said: "I'm sorry, but I have to go. Can I take you home?"

"Nah, we'll take a cab. Besides I wanna show Andy around. See you", Tim answered and grabbed Andy by his shoulder.

They spent the whole day together. They went down town, sat at the beach, watched the people going by, grabbed something to eat, talked for hours and simply enjoyed themselves.

Later that afternoon they went to the headquarters and everybody was happy to see Speed. Horatio passed by and greeted them. "Hi. I see you got rid of the cast. Guess it's a good feeling", he noticed after they shook hands.

"Man, best feeling ever!" Tim laughed.

"What are you doing here, by the way?"

"Just stopped by. We were doing some sightseeing", Speed explained. Then his cell phone rang. "Speedle", he said and listened. "Oh, hi Mom!" he smiled. "How are you?" He looked at Horatio who waved his hand goodbye. "That's good to hear, Mom. What? Oh…we're doing fine, really. Nothing to worry about. He's right there. Wanna talk to him? Yeah, bye" he ended and passed the phone to Andy.

"Hi Mom! Are you having a good time? That's great. We went downtown, you know. Sightseeing, that kind of stuff", he answered her questions and watched Tim who took a seat at the hallway. "Listen, we gotta go now. We talk when you're home again, okay? Say Dad hello. Bye", he finally said and shut the cell off. He looked at Speed with a worried expression.

Tim had his eyes closed and his head leaned back at the wall.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Speed's head snapped right back and he cleared his throat. "Just a little tired. Let's go home", he tried to sound normal, but failed.

"Just a little? Man, you're totally wiped out. We shouldn't have spent the whole day walking around. Partly it's my fault, too. I should have known." Then he called a cab. "Can you walk? Or do you need help?"

At first Speed wanted to refuse the offered help, but he had to face the facts. Andy was right. He was still weak, stiff and sore. This afternoon drained him out completely. He held out his right hand. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not!" Andy answered and carefully lifted him from the seat and brought his left arm around Tim's waist.

Later that day Alexx called Tim at home. But it was Andy who took the call instead. "Hello?"

"Hi, it's me. Alexx. How are you doing?"

"Good. Tim's asleep. He's completely wiped out after our little big trip I'm afraid. I should have stopped him", he tried to apologize.

"No harm done – yet. Just make sure he stays in bed for the next 12 hours."

"That's not easy. You know him – he gets easily bored. He needs to do something…"

"Yeah, you're right…I'll figure something out. For now, go and take a nap yourself. Do you need something?"

"No, thanks. See you later."

Tim awoke by the smell of fresh coffee the next morning. He tried to stretch his arms but was greeted by the familiar sharp pain in his left shoulder and arm. _'Alright, I hear you, pal. Just relax, okay?_' he thought. He moved slowly, hoping to ease the pain at least a little bit. He got out of the bed very carefully and was about to go to the bathroom, as Andy's head appeared in the doorway.

"Morning! I've made breakfast" he greeted and looked at Tim. "But first we have to clean you up."

"Clean…me up…?" Speed stammered. "Why…?"

"Gee, you're looking like shit. Hair's are a mess and you definitely need to shave. Unless you like your beard."

Tim ran a hand across his face. _'Well, Andy's got a point there_' he thought. "Okay, I'll take a shower", he gave in.

"Do you need a helping hand?" Andy grinned.

"Hell, NO!" he laughed and disappeared in the bathroom as fast as he could.

Twenty minutes later he stepped into the kitchen, shaved, his curly hair still slightly wet. He wore jeans and a shirt but no socks. "Can you help me with the buttons?"

Andy buttoned the shirt and helped Tim put the sling back on. "Alexx called last night," Andy reported over breakfast. "But you were asleep. She told me to make sure you don't leave the house today, but I told her fat chance, considering you can't sit still that long. She said she would figure something out," he said while Tim skimmed the newspaper.

"Yeah, whatever", he mumbled absent-minded.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Speed turned to Andy. "So, what's next? I haven't shown you the football stadium yet. Great place to hang out. I thought we…"

"Don't you ever listen to me? I just told you that you're not allowed to set a foot outside of this house!"

"Oh, come on, pal! What am I supposed to do all day long? I can't just sit here and wait for the evening to come!" he said annoyed.

"I'm afraid but that's what you are going to do", Andy replied.

"But…" Speed wanted to argue, but was interrupted by the doorbell.

Andy answered it and was greeted by Eric. "How are you two doing? I could hear you through the door. Any problems?" he smiled.

"Nah, just trying to make plans for the day", Tim said and shot a quick glance at Andy. "But we haven't found a interesting theme yet."

"Well, I think I can find something for you to do," Eric smirked as he made his way to the living room. He laid a thick stack of papers and files onto the coffee table. "Alexx went to Horatio, explained your boredom. And Horatio gave me this," Eric explained as he opened the folder, "Unsolved cases from the last ten years."

"You're…you're kidding, right!" Speed said and looked at Eric. "No way I'm digging through this stuff…no, no. Speedy won't do this," he was still shocked. "There must be some other way to…"

"No chance. According to Horatio you're gonna have to take a second look at the reports. Try to find new clues, evidence…Whatever. And oh, I almost forgot, that's from Alexx," he grinned as he took a piece of paper from his pocket and gave it to the still stunned and speechless Tim Speedle.

"…what's that?" he asked after he regained some composure. But he still had to read the paper several times to understand the lines.

"Your doctor's schedule for the rehabilitation training", Eric explained.

"That's…that's a timeframe for…for 3 months!"

"And, my friend, that's just the beginning – according to Alexx," Eric patted Tim's right shoulder as he tried hard not to laugh out loud. After a few moments he said: "Gotta go. Have fun."

After Delko left the house, Speed stood in the middle of the living room, slightly shocked by the fact that he couldn't do anything about it. Andy sensed his mood. "C'mon. Let's take a look at this stuff."

Speed slowly walked back and settled down in a chair. He exhaled loudly but then stayed silent.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Andy said and the chair next to Tim. "Do you wanna talk about it? What's bothering you?"

"It's…it's just…I don't know…"

"It's the fact that you're not gonna be able to return to work that easily, right? What do you expect? Hell, you just survived a shooting!"  
"Well, thank you Dr. Speedle, I already figured that out. In case you didn't notice, I'm not able to move my left arm because of that," he shot back angrily. He stared at the ceiling as his mind raced. The doorbell rang again and Speed moved quickly towards the door. "What is it, Delko? Aren't you having enough fun at my expense already?" he shouted as he opened the door. He was shocked into silence again. "What…hi, Mom…Dad…? …what…how…why…are you…here?" he managed to get out.

Susan was surprised, too. She didn't expect to get such a cold welcome. She looked at her son. "Well, it's nice to see you, too. Thank you. I guess we interrupted…" she stopped as she noticed the sling. "Honey, what happened to you?"

Tim felt sorry. He stepped aside. "Excuse me, Mom. You got me on the wrong foot. I'm sorry. Please come in."

After his parents were inside, Susan hugged Tim.

"Ouch! Be careful, mom. I'm wounded", he said.

Arthur just padded his right shoulder after exchanging greetings. Then he went to see Andy.

"Sorry, my boy. What happened to you?" she asked for the second time. "And when? You didn't tell me when we talked last time."

"That's because it happened right after you left for Hawaii. But what are you doing here anyway?"

"Timothy Patrick Speedle, don't try to change subject! I want to know what happened to you."

He sighed. "Alright. I was shot during a robbery, okay?" He went to the kitchen. "You guys want something to drink?"

"Yeah, I could use something", Arthur answered. "But you don't get off that easily. So, would you please tell us what happened to you, son?"

After handing out the drinks he settled down with his family and told the whole story. His parents were some kind shocked. "And you didn't tell us when I called you? I had this feeling that day. I HAD to make that phone call, you know", Susan said to Andy.

"Well, the time you called, no one knew if he…he would pull through. I was scared as shit. I didn't want to upset you. I'm sorry."

"Okay, now…let's face the facts, Susan. They are sill alive and I think we should thank God that he watched out for our two boys", Arthur said and hugged his wife.

Tim just rolled with his eyes. Thank God? For what? But he stayed silent.

"What about you? Why are you here?" Tim asked.

"Our flight back home was cancelled last night. We had to stay for one day. So we decided to surprise you. Then we called the Police Station to see if you're at work. Lt. Caine told us you were staying at home, but he didn't mentioned why. He also said that you're not coming back to work for the next few weeks. I thought you were in trouble. So we came here as fast as we could. But now I'm not sure if this is any better. You're still in trouble. Are you going to be okay?" Susan asked.

"Yeah, give it some time, mom. It'll be alright."

"Anyway, we have to get home, honey. I should call the airport to get us the tickets", Arthur said and took the telephone.  
"Yeah, you should do that. But we're gonna need 4 tickets", Susan said and looked at her husband who shot a glance back. He was confused.

"Wait a minute – why 4 tickets?" Tim asked. But he already knew the answer.

"I think it would be a good idea to have you around for a while. Since you didn't want to come to NYC earlier", Susan said.

"Mom, it's not that I didn't want to see you, but with all the work…I just couldn't manage to visit."

"That's right. But as you said before, you can't work right now. So, why don't you spent some time with us?" Susan asked.

"I have to go to the rehabilitation training…"

"Don't you think there are quite some physicians back in New York? We can work things out, I guess. There shouldn't be any problem."

"But…"

"No but's there, son. You're coming with us. It'll be fun" Susan smiled.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

**Complications**

A/N: Go and see Chapter 1 for full information…

Chapter 3 

Tim tried everything to convince his mother to let him stay at Miami. But Susan was already in her "motherhen" modus and there was no escape. Only the real good food back home was worth the ordeal he would have to suffer. He had no other choice and gave up his resistance. After he had called Horatio and had explained his sudden departure, he went through the house and made sure he got everything he would need the next few weeks. One hour later his cell phone rang and he answered it. "Speedle."

"Hello Tim, it's Alexx. Just heard from Horatio about your holiday plans."

"Oh, just do me a favour…don't remind me", he scowled. "It's going to be a hell of a ride", he smirked.

"Sweetheart, I can't imagine that. After all it's your family", she said, but was well aware of his reluctance about staying at his parents house. "Just relax and have a good time. One more thing: give me a call when you're back home. I'll do some research and give you some addresses from colleagues who can help you with the training."

"Isn't that sweet? Always worried about us, our Dr. Woods", he smiled.

"Can't help it. Have a nice trip, Tim. And be a good boy, do you hear me? I don't want to hear any complains from my colleagues."

"I'll try. Thanks, Alexx. I owe you one."

"That's right. See you."  
"Bye."

After he finished the call he went back to the living room. Everyone was ready to go and with

one last glance back he said: "Alright, let's call a cab."

One hour later they sat at the airport, waiting for their flight. Later that evening, Tim put down his suitcase in front of the Speedle home in NYC. He let his eyes drift around. How long had he been away? Eight, ten years? Was Mrs. Anderson, the lovely old lady across the street still alive? What about Kenny Jones, the boy from next door? He wanted to be a attorney. Did he make it? Questions raced in his mind and he stood there for several minutes. The others were already in the house, his mother was happy, after all, to have her complete family together in one house. Tim was interrupted by a dog who ran right towards him. He let go his bag and was ready to ran away.

"Spot! Don't jump at him!" he could his father's voice shouting from inside the house.

The dog – a big black Labrador – turned his head and stood.

Arthur appeared and went to Spot. "Good boy!"

"A dog! You? That's unusual", Tim said and knelt down to pet the dog.

"Well…you know…since Susan's still with the child service we've sometimes got a bunch of kids around. They like the dog. They need someone to play with…someone who doesn't hurt them like they experienced before in their young lives. Spot's perfect for that. He can listen to them all day long, stuff like that, you know", his father tried to explain.

"I see. How many kids are actually here?"

"Right now we've got 2 little ones. Troy is 5 and Lisa's 8. You'll gonna meet them on Monday."

Susan came. "I see you've already found Spot."

"It's more that he found me, Mom."  
"Are you coming? We still need to unpack your stuff. Unfortunately your old room is now occupied by Troy and Lisa, but you'll be okay with the guest room, wouldn't you?"

"I'll be fine with that." Then he grabbed the suitcase and entered the house. A strange feeling occurred as he walked through the rooms. Everything was so familiar and yet unknown. His mother led the way and soon after that she had all things stored for him. He just stood there and felt like a little boy again.

"Mom, I can do this on my own, trust me."  
"Alright. What about dinner? Something special for my special son?" she smiled.

"There's nothing special with me, but thanks. Everything you make is alright with me. But I don't want you to do dinner just for me. I can take care of myself."

"Oh, stop it. It's not just for you! I'll have to cook anyway" she answered and left with a smile.

After she had left, Tim sighed and sat on the bed. He still felt like he was 10 again. That's why he didn't want to come – he was treated like a kid. It was no bad intention from his mother. No, that was her nature. Always there to help, to comfort, to please. Not bad after all, but annoying sometimes.

Then he made the promised phone call, and 10 minutes later he hung up. He thought about eating dinner but he felt very tired, too. So he laid down to rest for a few minutes.

"Why isn't he coming? Dinner's going to be cold", Susan said while working in the kitchen, with Arthur helping her. Andy had gone to meet his girlfriend.

"Well, he said earlier that he had to call Dr. Woods. Maybe he has to explain something to the lab", Arthur said.

Time went by and the dinner was ready but there was still no sign of Tim.

"I'll go and look for him", Arthur said and left the table. He was about to knock on the door, but then he heard the noises. He had to smile and carefully opened the door. He stepped inside to see his son laying on the bed – sleeping and snoring. Arthur went to him and put off Tim's shoes. Then he placed the blanket over Tim and left again.

"He's sleeping soundly. But now let's eat", he said after he took this place at the table.

Tim awoke and first he didn't know where he was. He thought of another hospital but then realized that this room was not full of medical equipment. Then he knew where he was and looked at his watch. "Oh shit!" he said and stood…9 pm. He had slept for almost 5 hours.

He went straight into the kitchen because now he was really hungry. As he opened the refrigerator he could hear the TV running in the living room. He put some food on the plate and went to take a seat on the kitchen table, but Susan was already at the door and had to smile.

Tim just stood there like a kid who had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Then he smiled: "What? It's been a while since my last dinner."

Susan helped him because he couldn't hold the plate and grab for a bottle of water single-handed. She went to the living room.

"I can eat right here, Mom. No problem" he offered.

"No way. Please sit with us for a while."

He followed her, trying to decide if he needed a beer, too. This would be a long night.

Arthur sat in a chair, reading a book. He didn't look up when he asked: "He went straight into the kitchen, right?"

"Yes my dear, you were right. As always", she teased him.

Arthur looked up and smiled: "Did you hear that, son?"

Tim shot a glance to his mother. "I don't want to comment that. No offense, but you two are still acting like teenagers. That's a bit scary to me", he said as he carefully sat down.

"You seem to be stiff. Is the shoulder bugging you?" Susan asked concerned. She put down the plate and went to Tim.

"Yeah. Guess the bed here isn't that comfortable. And the flight wasn't pleasant, either."

"I've got some ointment for sore muscles. Remind me to get it before you go to bed, okay?"

"Sure."

Then they sat in silence while Tim ate and only the TV in the background could be heard. Later that evening after a surprisingly well going conversation about different themes, Arthur yawned and stood. "I'm done. Tomorrow will be a tough day, so I'm going to bed. Good night", he said, kissed his wife and went.

"Night", Tim said.

"I'm coming soon" Susan replied.

Tim stood too. "I'm going to catch some sleep. Good night, Mom", he said and made his way to the door.

"Good night. Sweet dreams, honey" she said. She laughed as she could see Tim's head go down at her 'honey' comment.

"Please…don't to that to me. It's…it's cruel", he smiled.

Susan went to the bathroom and was about to close the door behind her as she remembered about the ointment. She reached for it in the cupboard and went to Tim's room. She knocked at the door and waited for him to respond.

"Yeah" he answered.

"Almost forgot this" she said as she entered the room and held up the ointment for him to see. She found him staring out of the window, still fully dressed.

"What's up?" she wanted to know.

"Nothing. Just thought I heard something. Guess it's Andy coming home", he explained. Then he turned around and went to the drawer. He pulled his pajamas and began to pull his socks off while sitting on the bed. After that, he carefully lifted his left arm from the sling and put the sling down. He winced and sucked in the air. Susan sighed and went to sit right next to him. She couldn't see her son in pain. "Is it okay with you if I help you with the shirt?" she asked because she knew about his reluctance about being helped.

"Just go for it" he stated simply, knowing there would be no escape.

She helped him as gently as she could and was shocked to see the big scars on this shoulder. "My God. That must be painful. I'm so sorry", she said quietly.

"What for? It's not your fault" he answered.

"But somehow I still think it wouldn't had happened if I didn't insist you to take care of Andy…maybe it would have been all different if I…" she stopped as he reached for her hand.

"Mom, don't think that way. Please. It's not your fault, okay? **I **made the decision back then in the market. **I **pulled the gun. **I** tried to play the hero" he smirked. "If I had known before, that I would end up here, I would have figured out something else."

She had to smile as she saw his bemused face. For a few moments neither of them spoke. Then she reached for the ointment and put some of it on her hands. "Turn around. I'll try to loosen those hard muscles at least a little bit."  
He did what he's been told and turned around so that she could massage his back.

"No wonder you can't move. Your muscles are totally stiff", she said as she gently rubbed his back.

Tim didn't answer. He just enjoyed the massage. It was wonderful. Not that he didn't like the thought of being caressed, but by his mother? But it really felt good. The pain had intensified since the flight, but he didn't wanted to show his uneasiness to anybody else. Susan worked on him a few more minutes and then she stood.

He turned around again and moved his head and shoulders slowly. "Thanks. That was great. I feel much better now" he said honestly.

"You're welcome." Susan went to the bathroom to wash her hands and after she had returned, she helped him to put the night shirt on. As he reached for the zipper of his jeans, he stopped and watched his mother. "Uh…I can do this on my own. Would you mind to…" he didn't finish the sentence.

She just smiled. "To do what?"

"Uh…to leave the room?"

"Oh, don't you think that I've seen you in underwear before?" she laughed.

"Yeah…but NOW it's…it's…" he was lost for words.

She couldn't help but to smile at him. Then she held up her hands. "I understand. Good night."

Tim could hear her still laughing as she went to the bedroom.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

**Complications**

A/N: Go and see Chapter 1 for full information…  
Okay, last but not least…here comes the last chapter. Hope you like it. Thanks to randomwriting, Speed's girl22 and (of course) speedfanatic05 for reviewing.

**Chapter 4**

The weekend went by in a hurry after he was introduced to the old neighbours as well as to the new ones. He checked his old hang outs, talked to his old teachers at Columbia University, took walks with Spot. He even met Jennifer, Andy's girlfriend. She was pretty and Tim had to admit that Andy was lucky to have such a nice and cute girl. Monday morning he went to the rehabilitation training and later that afternoon he met Troy and Lisa who both were very excited to talk to a police officer. During the week he was also occupied with the all the other kids his mother brought home to take care of.

The second week was just starting, as his mother told him while eating breakfast, that she met his old teacher from high school.

"He told me about this program. They're looking for volunteers to take care of less good pupils. To do stuff like help them with homework, to prepare for exams, figure out some science projects, you know. I immediately thought of you", she explained and hoped Tim wouldn't be too upset.

"Have you told him about me?" he wanted to know.

"Of course", she answered and his face went down. "Not", she added. "I would never do this. I just thought of it as a great idea."

"I'll think about it, okay?"

Tuesday afternoon Tim found himself back in his old high school. He had talked to Mr. Stevens and agreed to run this program for the next 8 weeks. After the intense training he had done so far each day, he was able to move his left arm and shoulder without any greater pain. Still, he had quite more workouts to do and was pleased for this kind of distraction.

Tim enjoyed himself while working with the kids. He was surprised how well he did, though. He never was a people's person, that's why he liked the job at CSI. A lot of lab work, many things to analyse and no help needed. He was on his own. Still, he had fun with his "job" here. The kids were excited to have a "real" cop around, though at first they didn't believe him. They expected an uniformed police officer, but he quickly explained his role in the crime solving process and the kids literally hung on his lips while he spoke. They asked him constantly about his work in the lab.

On his third week at home he received a phone call from Eric.

"Hey, man. What's up? Forgot your colleagues?"

"Hey, Eric. Sorry, it's kinda busy here since day one."

"And? How you're doing so far?"

"Well, I'm fine. Shoulder's gettin' better by day. And I'm swept up with work, I can tell you."

"Work? You? What kind of work? Have you joined CSI New York?" Eric laughed.

"No. Mom talked me into this high school program, you know. Help poor kids with homework, creating science projects, that kind of work. But it's great. I'm really enjoying this. Gives me some kind of confirmation. Those kids are our future. We have to help them."

"Nice to hear. You're absolutely right."

"So what's up in Miami? Still case overload?"

Eric laughed out loud. "Hell, it was difficult with you here, but **without** you – it's awful. We've got Henderson from night shift, but he's not as good as you. Don't get me wrong my friend – you're not the only good one in the lab, but Henderson…he's just…don't know. It's different without you here."

"Aww, don't do this to me. I'm pleased to hear but tell me this – are you the only one who thinks this way?" Tim smiled.

"No. H was talking about you yesterday. He said something like 'Let's hope his mother lets him go after those 8 weeks'. Oh, speaking of, how you're getting along with Mom and Dad?" Eric wanted to know.

"I'm still alive", Speed answered. "Sometimes it sucks, but in the end it's good to be home I guess. Dad's not the problem, he's cool. But Mom – well, she cares too much, you know", Tim said and laughed.

"Yeah, I know this feeling, man. Listen, gotta go. H gave me a new assignment. He just said hello to you and so did Calleigh and Alexx. Talk to you soon. Later", Eric said.

"Thanks. Say hello from me too. I'll call you next week. Bye", Tim replied and hung up the phone.

After 4 weeks Tim was allowed to remove the sling which he gladly did. Still, he had to be careful with his moves and his training wasn't over. Being able to work with both hands now, he threw himself into the science project. He was willing to kick the project of another high school out of the contest. So he and the kids gave 110 to solve the problem they were asked to do so in order to win this battle. During his "free" time he spent the days with Andy and Jennifer as well with his Dad at work in one of the restaurants and with his Mom at the social service office. Even Tim had to admit that he really enjoyed it, and day by day, his relationship with Susan got better. She realized that Tim was a loner and he needed his space. Tim on the other hand, was happy to see his mother working with all the kids who weren't as lucky as he and Andy was. Those kids experienced so many bad things at a young age, they really deserved a better future, and Susan was trying to give it to them. But by doing this to those kids she also tried to give it to Tim and Andy. Which was difficult to understand for Tim at first. But after those weeks at the social service he got a better view into her everyday work. He understood her intentions better now, but still refused to be treated like one of those little kids. He wasn't one of them. Neither was Andy. Tim talked with his mother about that one evening and after both of them agreed to try the best they could to walk in each others shoes, they went out for dinner with the rest of the family, Troy and Lisa included.

Time went by and on his seventh week at home Tim called Horatio at work on Friday morning.

"Caine."

"H. It's Speed."

"Hey! Good to hear from you after all. Since you didn't call that much."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I was busy."

"So, why are you calling? Everything's okay?"

"Sure. Listen, I wanted to ask you to do me a favour?" Tim said.

"Shoot", Horatio answered, curious to hear Tim's request.

"Um, I…I wanted to ask for another two weeks of free-time", he said and waited for his boss to answer.

At first Horatio was stunned, thinking of Speed's protest to go home.

"Why's that? Do you have any problems back home?"

"Speaking of, yeah I've got a problem. A big problem", Tim said.

"Serious problem?"

"Kind of. See, I'm running this high school program…", he tried to explain.

"Yes, I know. Eric told me. What's the problem?" Horatio answered.

"Well, the contest for the science project is in about 2 weeks and we're almost done with it. But I would like to see those kids win, so…I need more time to finish the computer simulation we created so far. That's why I ask you for some off-time. I understand that it is unusual and if there's a problem with, then I'm coming back next week."

Horatio sighed. "I don't know how to explain this to you. There's a problem indeed. We can't afford to let you stay back home for two more weeks, Speed. Crimes don't stop. The case load is…well, huge. I 'm terribly sorry, …", Horatio said quietly.

Tim couldn't think of something to say. He was positive he could convince his boss to honor his request, but now it seemed he was too optimistic. He sighed, too. "Well, then I'm coming back to work on Monday" he replied and was about to hang up.

"Hey! Let me finish, okay? I'm terribly sorry that I have to go to work without your music playing aloud in the whole lab for the next two weeks. I'm afraid to admit that, but something's missing without you here", Horatio said while he was smiling. "And I wasn't joking about that we can not afford to let you stay from work. Night shift has to work a little bit harder, but it's okay. Henderson will be annoyed. And I guess Eric's happy to be the no. 1 – at least for the next 2 weeks. Tell you what, I'm giving you this extra time. You deserve it; you're a good man, Speed."

"Oh, I…well, I don't know what to say…thanks, H. I'm really appreciating this", Tim said honestly.

"And Speed?"

"Yeah?"

"Go win this contest, you hear me? Don't you dare to come back to work without the 1st prize! Understand that?"

Tim had to laugh. "Yes, Sir. I completely understand. We're doing the best we can. Thanks, H."

"You're welcome. See you in two weeks. Bye."  
"Bye."

Satisfied ,Tim hung up and went outside to help his father to clean the swimming pool. Andy was already in the now empty pool and scrubbing the walls. Arthur handed him some more cleaner and said: "And? Guess they are happy to have you stay away for two more weeks."

"Yeah, Dad. Sad thing. They don't want me back in Miami. I'm shocked", Tim said as he approached them then he held his heart in a mock gesture.

"Shocked? Doesn't look like it," Andy said down in the pool. "Now come down and take one of the brooms. I want to go out with Jen tonight."

"Oh, big date? I'm still trying to figure out why she's with you", Tim said and climbed into the pool after he put off his socks and shoes. "She's too good for you."

"Yeah, whatever. Stop rambling around. You're trying to steal away from work here, I noticed. Now, who's the CSI in the family, bro?" he laughed.

"Dream on, boy. Dream on. She's still too good for you."  
"Hey you two. Stop it. Or do you want to get a free shower?" Arthur said and held up the hose. "Let's move, boys."

The three of them worked while telling jokes the rest of the time they cleaned.

By the time Susan came home, the pool was cleaned and filled with water while the others were busy to prepare the barbeque. "Hey. What are you doing?" she asked stunned.

Arthur went towards her and kissed her on the forehead. "Nice to see you too, Susan. And to answer your question. We are preparing the grill in order to get something to eat since we're starving."

"Yeah, Mom. Look at the pool. We did some excellent work here, so we deserve it", Andy said.

"Indeed, the pool looks great. But didn't you have a date with Jennifer tonight?" Susan replied.

"I called her and invited her to come here."

"Good thinking", Susan answered.

"And who's idea was that!" Tim said as he turned around. "Both, the barbeque AND calling Jen? I can't hear you…"

"Okay, it was yours, alright?"

The evening went by and everybody enjoyed themselves.

14 weeks after his accident and 10 weeks after he left for NYC Tim Speedle sat his foot on ground at the Miami Dade Police Headquarter. At first nobody seemed to notice him and so he made his way to Horatio's office. It was early on Monday morning and usually Speed wouldn't be here at this time, but he needed to talk to Horatio in private.

Horatio was wrapped up with paperwork and didn't look up as Speed entered the office.

Tim placed a news article on top of the files in front of Horatio. Confused Horatio stopped, looked at the article and then at Speed who stood smiling in front of his desk. Horatio jumped out of his chair to greet and hug him. "Speed! Welcome back, you look good", he stated and stepped back.

"Thanks. I'm feeling fine. It's good to be back."

Horatio took the article which was titled: "Jefferson High School wins 1st Prize at Science Contest" and read it, then smiled. "I told you not to come back without 1st prize. Congratulations!"

"Well, thank you. It was fantastic. The kids were…great, absolutely amazing. They gave me this", Speed said and held up a handmade badge. "We talked a lot about police work, you know. And I told them about you and that you're a role model for me. The kids wanted to thank you so…this is for you." He gave him the present.

"I don't know what to say…wow. I've got an decoration! Thank you" he shook hands with Tim.

"You're welcome. So, any assignments?" Speed wanted to know.

"First day at work, it's always the same", he laughed. "By the end of this week you wish you were back home in NYC, my friend. Okay, let's go to the break room to meet the others. We've got plenty work to do."

With that the two of them walked down the corridor, still talking about the science project.

Once there, Eric padded Tim on the shoulder and smiled. "You're back. Man, you're in serious trouble here. You owe me one. I've handled all your latest paperwork. And I took care of your house. And the mail."   
"Oh come on, Delko. It's not that I ordered you to do this. You practically pushed yourself into. But thanks anyway. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Then Speed was hugged and kissed by Calleigh. "Look who's back. I don't believe it. It was so quiet and peaceful here. Guess the good times are over", she drawled and hugged him again. "It's great to have you back."

Alexx appeared in the doorway and stepped into the room. "Hey, sweetheart. You look great. Any problems with the shoulder?"

"Only when the weather changes. At first I thought Dr. White was joking. But now…I know better. I should work for the weather channel", he explained. "Dr. Michaels in NYC did a good job. Although my hand's still a bit tingly and goes numb from time to time, but I can live with that since it's the left one. He's going to mail you the paperwork."

"Okay, folks. Let's go and catch some bad guys", Horatio said and handed out the assignments. "Calleigh, a dead body at a warehouse. John's already there. He said there are at least 10 casings waiting for you."

"I'm on my way. See you", she said and went away.

"Eric, Speed. I've got an burglary at Coconut Grove. Be prepared. It's the home of an so called movie-star. News people all around. Watch your tongues." Both of them nodded and set off.

Horatio went to see a perp they got last week in the interrogation room.

Everybody was happy to be complete at last.

Speed was riding shotgun and was lost in thoughts as Eric drove. His family was back in NYC, but right now he was at home, even if it was different now. He had made his peace with his parents and was willing to give it a try. His words to Andy were the same as the ones he said to his mother when he said goodbye to her: "I hope we can start to make things up, even if it will take quite some time. I've learned that you are important to me."

Yes, indeed they were important to him. But this family here in Miami was also important to him and he couldn't think of a better way. Maybe the ordeal he had suffered was meant to be. He didn't know. At least he had made the first step into the right direction. That was all that mattered.

The end


End file.
